Systems, methods, and apparatus for facilitating expansion of media device interface capabilities

ABSTRACT

System, methods, apparatus, and computer-readable media to facilitate expansion of media device interface capabilities are provided. A state change with respect to one or more media devices may be detected. The state change may correspond to a second media device being communicatively coupled to, or communicatively decoupled from, a first media device. Consequent to the detecting, a set of interface ports, which are configured to interface with multimedia devices, may be determined. Configuration information may be generated based at least in part on the set of interface ports. The configuration information may be transferred to a sink device to indicate interface options based at least in part on the set of interface ports. Content may be transferred to the sink device based at least in part on audio and/or visual data via at least one interface port of the set of interface ports.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/451,894, filed Aug. 5, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporatedby reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates in general to high-definition multimediainterfaces, and, more specifically, but not by way of limitation, tosystems, methods, and apparatus for facilitating expansion of mediadevice interface capabilities.

HDMI® (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) (hereinafter “HDMI”) is anindustry standard for connecting digital audiovisual devices with acompact cable to enable transfer of audiovisual data. Multiple versionsof HDMI have been developed as bandwidth and/or other capabilities ofaudiovisual data transfer increase, with recent releases including HDMIversions 1.4 and 2.0. As capabilities and features of multimedia devicescontinue to increase, content viewers have come to expect that theirtelevision receivers offer a number of robust and useful features.Companies are expected to compete to provide better capabilities andfeatures. There is a need for solutions to address problems related tosystems with overly limited HDMI capabilities.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure relate in general tohigh-definition multimedia interfaces, and, more specifically, but notby way of limitation, to systems, methods, and apparatus forfacilitating expansion of media device interface capabilities.

In one aspect, a system to facilitate expansion of media deviceinterface capabilities is provided. The system may include any one orcombination of the following. A first media device may be configured tobe communicatively couplable to a second media device. The first mediadevice may be configured to perform any one or combination of thefollowing. A first set of one or more interface ports that areconfigured to interface with one or more multimedia devices may berecognized. The second media device may be recognized when the secondmedia device is communicatively coupled to the first media device. Asecond set of one or more interface ports provided by the second mediadevice may be determined. A third set of interface ports may bedetermined based at least in part on the first set and the second set.Configuration information may be generated based at least in part on thethird set of interface ports. The configuration information may beprovided to a display to facilitate indication of interface optionsbased at least in part on the third set of interface ports. Content maybe provided to the display based at least in part on audio and/or visualdata via at least one interface port of the second set of one or moreinterface ports provided by the second media device.

In another aspect, a method to facilitate expansion of media deviceinterface capabilities is provided. The method may include any one orcombination of the following, which may be performed by a first mediadevice. A first set of one or more interface ports that are configuredto interface with one or more multimedia devices may be recognized. Thesecond media device may be recognized when the second media device iscommunicatively coupled to the first media device. A second set of oneor more interface ports provided by the second media device may bedetermined. A third set of interface ports may be determined based atleast in part on the first set and the second set. Configurationinformation may be generated based at least in part on the third set ofinterface ports. The configuration information may be provided to adisplay to facilitate indication of interface options based at least inpart on the third set of interface ports. Content may be provided to thedisplay based at least in part on audio and/or visual data via at leastone interface port of the second set of one or more interface portsprovided by the second media device.

In yet another aspect, one or more non-transitory, machine-readablemedia having machine-readable instructions thereon are provided. Theinstructions, when executed by one or more processing devices, mayfacilitate expansion of media device interface capabilities, causing theone or more processing devices to perform any one or combination of thefollowing. A first set of one or more interface ports that areconfigured to interface with one or more multimedia devices may berecognized. The second media device may be recognized when the secondmedia device is communicatively coupled to the one or more processingdevices. A second set of one or more interface ports provided by thesecond media device may be determined. A third set of interface portsmay be determined based at least in part on the first set and the secondset. Configuration information may be generated based at least in parton the third set of interface ports. Provision of the configurationinformation to a display may be caused, to facilitate indication ofinterface options based at least in part on the third set of interfaceports. Provision of content to the display may be caused, based at leastin part on audio and/or visual data via at least one interface port ofthe second set of one or more interface ports provided by the secondmedia device.

In various embodiments, the second media device may comprise one or moreof a television, a television receiver, a set-top box, and/or a mediaplayer. In various embodiments, the second media device may include amedia switch with a set of one or more output ports, a set of two ormore input ports that are configured to interface with one or moreadditional multimedia devices, the set of two or more input portscorresponding at least in part to the set of one or more interfaceports. In various embodiments, the second media device may comprise oneor more of a television receiver, a set-top box, and/or a media playerwith a set of one or more output ports, a set of two or more input portsthat are configured to interface with one or more additional multimediadevices, the set of two or more input ports corresponding at least inpart to the set of one or more interface ports.

In various embodiments, determining the second set of one or moreinterface ports provided by the second media device may includeprocessing a first indication from the second media device thatindicates information about one or more capabilities of the second mediadevice. In various embodiments, the information about one or morecapabilities of the second media device may include information about anumber of ports and one or more port type.

In various embodiments, the indication of interface options based atleast in part on the third set of interface ports may indicate one ormore port types. In various embodiments, determining the second set ofone or more interface ports provided by the second media device mayinclude processing a second indication from the second media device thatindicates an address associated with the second media device

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating various embodiments, are intended for purposes ofillustration only and are not intended to necessarily limit the scope ofthe disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of variousembodiments may be realized by reference to the following figures. Inthe appended figures, similar components or features may have the samereference label. Further, various components of the same type may bedistinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a secondlabel that distinguishes among the similar components. When only thefirst reference label is used in the specification, the description isapplicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label.

FIG. 1 shows a typical setup of a display device, such as a television,within which context certain embodiments of the present disclosure maybe applied.

FIG. 2 shows a diagram of a system, in accordance with certainembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C show a system, in accordance with certainembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C show a system, in accordance with certainembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows an example system with cascaded switches, in accordancewith certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows an example system, in accordance with certain embodimentsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example method, in accordance with certainembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates a computer system, in accordance with certainembodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The ensuing description provides preferred exemplary embodiment(s) only,and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configurationof the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the preferredexemplary embodiment(s) will provide those skilled in the art with anenabling description for implementing a preferred exemplary embodimentof the disclosure. It should be understood that various changes may bemade in the function and arrangement of elements without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appendedclaims.

Specific details are given in the following description to provide athorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will beunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments maybe practiced without these specific details. For example, circuits maybe shown in block diagrams in order not to obscure the embodiments inunnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes,algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessarydetail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

Also, it is noted that the embodiments may be described as a processwhich is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, astructure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describethe operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can beperformed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of theoperations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when itsoperations are completed, but could have additional steps not includedin the figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, aprocedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process correspondsto a function, its termination corresponds to a return of the functionto the calling function or the main function.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure relate in general tohigh-definition multimedia interfaces, and, more specifically, but notby way of limitation, to systems, methods, and apparatus forfacilitating a virtual port expander. In certain embodiments, thevirtual port expander may apply to HDMI ports. As noted above, HDMI isan industry standard for connecting digital audiovisual devices with acompact cable to enable transfer of audiovisual data. Multiple versionsof HDMI have been developed as bandwidth and/or other capabilities ofaudiovisual data transfer increase, with recent releases including HDMIversions 1.4 and 2.0.

With respect to certain media devices, such as television receivers, twosituations may commonly occur which create limitations for theinstallation. Firstly a display or set-top box (STB) may be shipped withonly a single HDMI input port to allow external devices to be pluggedinto the display or STB. Secondly with the arrival of 4K resolution andultra-high definition television (UHDTV) devices which require an HDMI2.0 input, a display or STB may start out with only one HDMI 2.0 port,with others being HDMI 1.4. Certain embodiments of the presentdisclosure may provide solutions that provide better HDMI portcapabilities, flexibility, and features. Certain embodiments may provideHDMI 2.0 based switches such that it is possible to upgrade displayswhich have multiple HDMI inputs but only one capable of HDMI 2.0.

Certain embodiments according to the present disclosure may provide fora virtual port expander. A virtual port expander may add more HDMI portsto a system, obviating a need for manual switching, and a separatecontroller. In some embodiments, a display device (e.g., a televisionreceiver or monitor) may be configured to provide a virtual portexpander. With some embodiments, an external television receiver or STBmay be configured with a virtual port expander, which could beimplemented with an external unit to the display.

Certain embodiments may include a port expander/switch that has beenenabled with virtual port features and an STB, TV, or other media devicealso enabled with virtual port features. Certain embodiments of adisplay device or television receiver may be configured to recognize oneor more external devices using signaling. The display device ortelevision receiver may query the number of additional ports that havebeen added via the external device and then include these in the userinterface/input source options. For example, a television originallymanufactured with HDMI ports 1 to 4 could be expanded by adding a 2-portswitch to port 4, so that the television would then cycle through HDMIports 1 to 5. When selecting ports 4 or 5, a controller would then needto switch to its fourth input and signal the external device to switchto either its port 1 or port 2. Certain embodiments could be driventowards a standard to allow televisions and/or television receivers towork easily with third-party devices.

Currently, there exist mechanisms within HDMI using, for instance, theCEC command line to allow devices to automatically switch and connectthemselves to the TV when they are powered on. However, there are flawswith this protocol, so often it is disabled and its features ignored.For instance, turning off a DVD player connected to a TV with CECenabled will often also cause the TV to turn off. Or, turning on the TV,may cause a connected device to turn on when it is not required to doso. Often, this means that the protocol is disabled and its features areignored.

What is needed is an improved implementation using a new set of commandswithin the protocol. Typically, with a television display, a user isaccustomed to pressing a “Source” or “Input” button which cycles aroundconnected devices. Certain embodiments allow for the creation of virtualinputs on a display device. In accordance with certain embodiments, whena switch device is connected to a media device (e.g., a television, adisplay device, STB, etc.), the additional ports are reflected at thesink device and added to its list as additional inputs. In this way, itbecomes possible for a user to simply switch between devices byswitching among a series of inputs as if the display device had beenequipped with more ports from the outset.

With the protocol of certain embodiments, cascading of devices may befacilitated. For example, adding a STB with two ports to a TV, might addthe additional ports to the TV list. Control of the system from the TVmay thereby be simplified.

Various embodiments will now be discussed in greater detail withreference to the accompanying figures, beginning with FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 shows a typical setup 100 of a display device 105, such as atelevision. In some cases, a television receiver 110, which may be aset-top box (STB), may be communicatively coupled to the display device105. The television receiver 110 could be communicatively coupled to amedia service back-end 130, which may correspond to certain upstreamelements of a media content distribution system (e.g., a satellitetelevision distribution system, a cable television distribution system,an IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) content distribution system,and/or any other type of media or content distribution system).

The display device 105 can be controlled by a user 150 using controlbuttons (not shown) on the display device 105 and/or the user 150 usinga user input device 175 that can send wireless signals 176 tocommunicate with the television receiver 110 and/or display device 105.The display device 105 includes two input ports 115 (which could be HDMIinputs ports) and an analog AV port 120.

An AV source command of a display controller for the display device 105may be provided. This could be selectable by way of user-selectableoptions (e.g., selection option 126) on the display device 105, via theremote control device 175. After selecting the AV source command, theuser 150 typically will be presented in some fashion with a choice ofpossible sources 125. This may be a list of available devices, or it maysequentially cycle around available inputs. In the case depicted, twostandard HDMI ports 115 plus an analog port 120 are available. In somecases, only ports with active HDMI sources may be displayed. This may bea feature of the particular implementation. The user 150 can then select126 a particular input using buttons on either the display device 105 orthe remote control device 175.

FIG. 2 shows a diagram of a virtual port system 200, in accordance withcertain embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 200 mayinclude a switch device 202. The switch device 202 may be a virtual portenabled switch device 202 in certain embodiments. The switch device 202may be implemented in various embodiments with any suitable device(s)and data connection(s). In various embodiments, the switch device 202may be separate or may be integrated in a STB or external televisionreceiver device.

The switch device 202 may include one or more HDMI output ports 204 andtwo or more HDMI input ports 206. Though other embodiments are possible,the non-limiting example depicts one output port 204 and two input ports206. The switch device 202 may have routing capability under control ofa controller 210. In some embodiments, the controller 210 may beconfigured to direct content encoded in the TMDS data format from one ormore of the input ports 206 to the output port 204.

The switch device 202 may include one or more data switches 224. The oneor more data switches 224 may be communicatively coupled between theinput ports 206 and output ports 204 and configured to allow for dataswitching under control of the controller 210. The switch device 202 mayalso have additional analog input ports 208, e.g., SCART, CVBS, YPrPb,etc, for analog input with the switch device 202. The switch device 202may be configured to convert those to digital format using an AV inputprocessor 226, which may include one or more analog-to-digitalconverters and may be configured to digitize and convert analog input toHDMI format. In this case, the switch device 202 may also signal to asink device 212 that the switch device 202 supports those additionalinput types.

The switch device 202 may be couplable to one or more sink devices 212and to one or more source devices 222. The non-limiting example depictsone sink device 212 and one source device 222. The sink device 212 mayinclude any one or combination of a television, a display device,television receiver, STB, and/or other media device in variousembodiments. In some embodiments, the sink device 212 may include theswitch device 202. Reference to such devices as sinks and/or source maynot be necessarily limiting, as at times and in certain respects andembodiments one or more of the sink devices 212 may function assource(s) and/or one or more of the source devices 222 may function assink(s). The source device 222 may include an audiovisual processor 226and a controller 228.

A sink controller 214 of the sink device 212 may store information aboutthe number of ports the switch device 202 supports and which ports 204,206 are currently active. When connected into a system 200, the Switchdevice 202 may notify connected sink devices 212 as to what capabilitiesare supported and so that one or more of the connected sink devices 212can create a map of the system. By way of example, the Switch device 202may transmit a <Send Switch Capability> message so that any connectedsink devices 212 may be notified. Such information may be communicatedwhen the Switch device 202 is first connected and/or at any othersuitable time, such as when the system state changes, such as when asource device 222 is added or removed.

The sink controller 214 may add the appropriate number of new sourcedevices 222 to the available number of source devices 222. Informationpertaining to the source devices 222 may be presentable with the sinkdevice 212 via a display list (e.g., an on-screen menu, pop-up, etc.).In the case that a source device 222 also includes one or more HDMIinputs (not shown), the same or similar protocol may be used to informthe sink device 212 about the additional HDMI inputs added to the system200.

Sink device 212 may include a display processor 216 which receives andprocesses the audiovisual data delivered by TMDS. The sink controller214 may be responsible for communicating with source devices 222 (andother sink device(s), if applicable) in the system 200 by way of theswitch device 202. When a switch device 202 is added to the system 200,the switch device 202 may be responsible to transmit a <Send SwitchCapability> message. The switch device 202 may transmit such informationat any suitable time, e.g., when the system state changes, such as whena source device 222 is added or removed.

The sink controller 214 of the sink device 212 may include a ConsumerElectronics Control (CEC) controller and/or a Display Data Channel (DDC)controller to send and receive commands to connected devices.Accordingly, the sink controller 214 may manage via signals based on CECand/or DDC signaling. As depicted, the switch controller 210 may beconfigured to facilitate communication between the source device 222 andthe sink device 212 based on CEC and/or DDC protocols.

The sink controller 214 may maintain a default list of inputspermanently embedded in the sink device 212. When an additional switchdevice 202 is added, the sink controller 214 may be responsible forextending the list based on the additional ports. In some embodiments,the switch device 202 may be configured to prompt the extension of thelist of ports to reflect the n−1 ports added to the system 200.

In certain embodiments, a user may be able to rename the device inputs.For example, the user may rename the device inputs via the displaydevice 212. The user may directly select his devices using the sourceinput button or any suitable mechanism in place on the display device212.

In some cases, when cycling around the list of available ports, thedisplay device 212 may only present those which have a currentlyconnected and active device. In some cases, the display device 212 mayshow connected but inactive devices. Since part of the CEC protocolprovides the physical and logical addressing for devices connected viaHDMI, this information can be used to filter the list of presenteddevices. The sink device 212 may still be able to show a list in theformat consistent with the sink device 212.

Certain embodiments may accommodate the use of a standard switch devicebeing connected. As individual devices are connected to the switch, thesink device 212 may learn from the physical address tables how manyports are currently connected. For example, if a switch is connectedwith one source on port 3, the sink device 212 may identify that aswitch with minimum of three ports has been connected. The sink device212 can choose to add either all three ports or just the active port.The sink controller 214 may retain information about the switch in thesystem 200 with at least three HDMI input ports. So long as the switchremains connected, the sink controller 214 may present an additional twoHDMI inputs (n−1). Accordingly, certain embodiments of virtual HDMIprovide for a learning mode.

When a switch device 202 is connected, it may signal to the sink device212 (e.g., the display) the number of ports that it is providing. Thereare several mechanisms that can be used to provide the signaling andcontrol. CEC protocol, which provides two-way communication, may be usedin order for the sink device to determine what sources and switches areconnected.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C show a virtual port system 300, in accordance withcertain embodiments of the present disclosure. FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C showa virtual port system 400, in accordance with certain embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Incorporating a virtual port capable switch 202 intothe systems 300, 400 provides an additional number of ports. The usefulnumber of ports added may be one less than the number of input ports onthe switch 202. The non-limiting examples show adding a 4-port inputswitch 202, which provides a total of three additional ports.

There are several ways in which new numbering schemes can be arranged.The systems 300, 400 show examples of what may happen when a switch 202is added to one of the input ports 115. FIG. 3B shows a simple numberingscheme 310 which follows the original TV numbering scheme. However, whenthe switch 202 is added to port 1 of the display device 212, there is apotential dilemma as to how to number the inputs and how to order them,if the existing port numbers are left assigned (410) as in FIG. 3B. FIG.3C and FIG. 4C show alternative schemes 315, 415 which may be easier tounderstand by providing an indication of where a device may be pluggedin. The schemes 315, 415 may be based on a combination of original portcombined with port switch number. There may be similar related schemeswhich would also work well.

FIG. 5 shows an example system 500 with cascaded switches, in accordancewith certain embodiments of the present disclosure. Source device 222-3may be a switch in some embodiments and may provide additional inputs223. The additional inputs 223 may, accordingly, be reflected with theschemes 510 and/or 515.

FIG. 6 shows a further example system 600, in accordance with certainembodiments of the present disclosure. In system 600, the switch 202 mayinclude an analog AV input port 208-1 from which signals can be capturedand converted to HDMI signals. The additional inputs 223 may,accordingly, be reflected with the schemes 610 and/or 615.

Referring now to FIG. 7, an example method 700 for facilitatingexpansion of media device interface capabilities, in accordance withcertain embodiments of the present disclosure. Teachings of the presentdisclosure may be implemented in a variety of configurations that maycorrespond to the configurations disclosed herein. As such, certainaspects of the methods disclosed herein may be omitted, and the order ofthe steps may be shuffled in any suitable manner and may depend on theimplementation chosen. Moreover, while the aspects of the methodsdisclosed herein, may be separated for the sake of description, itshould be understood that certain steps may be performed simultaneouslyor substantially simultaneously.

As indicated by block 702, in some embodiments, a sink device 212 mayrecognize a switch device 202 that is communicatively coupled to thesink device 212. As indicated by block 704, a set of one or moreinterface ports provided by the switch device 202 may be determined. Asindicated by block 706, a total set of interface ports may be determinebased at least in part on the set of ports native to the sink device 212and the set of one or more interface ports provided by the switch device202. As indicated by block 708, configuration information may begenerated based at least in part on the set of one or more interfaceports provided by the switch device 202.

As indicated by block 710, the configuration information may be providedto facilitate display of the interface options. As indicated by block712, the sink device 212 may operate to provide content for displaybased at least in part on audio and/or visual data via at least oneinterface port of the second set of one or more interface ports providedby the switch device 202.

With certain embodiments, several new commands may be created thatcould, for example, be used with method 700. The system may generate aset of commands in the same and/or similar form as other CEC commands.In some embodiments, the set of commands may use message codes which arecurrently unallocated or unused. Table 1 below shows the indicativeformat of an example set of commands making use of currently undefinedmessage codes. Table 2 shows corresponding new operand descriptionswhich are also required.

TABLE 1 Message Descriptions Parameter Directly Opcode Value DescriptionParameters Description Response Addressed Broadcast <Send 0xB1 Sent from[Physical Information on • Switch switch device Address] number of portsCapability> when a new [QTY added to system connection is HDMI Number ofmade or Ports] HDMI ports + switch is [QTY AV number of powered up.Ports] additional A/V ports <Query 0xB2 Sent from [Physical <Send •Switch> display to re- Address] Switch> determine switch configuration<Send 0xB3 Provides info [Physical • Switch> on switch Address]configuration [QTY HDMI Ports] [QTY AV Ports] <Query 0xB4 Requests info[Physical Number of A/V <Send • Switch on any Address] port to querySwitch A/V> additional [AV Port] A/V> port types supported by a switch<Send 0xB5 Provides a [OSD Text string • Switch descriptive Name]describing A/V A/V> name for any input port additional inputs

TABLE 2 Operand Descriptions Name Range Description Length Purpose [QTYHDMI Ports] 0 < N < 255 1 Byte Specifies number of HDMI ports [QTY AVPorts] 0 < N < 255 1 Byte Specifies number of AV ports [AV Port] 1 < N <255 1 Byte Number of AV port to query

The exact messaging and final operand codes may be varied depending uponthe standardization procedure. It may also be possible to create thisusing reserved vendor ID commands.

A first command may allow an HDMI switch to signal how many HDMI inputports it supports, plus how many alternate A/V inputs it supports suchas composite, RGB, YPrPb, etc. The command may have a format similar to<Send Switch Capability>. Along with the physical address of the device,this can be used to build the menu in the display device. This messagewill be broadcast by the switch whenever it is first connected orpowered up in a new system. In case the media device includes inbuiltfunctionality such as a STB with input port switches, the inbuiltfunction will be reported by this command as an additional input port.

There may be circumstances when the display itself is missinginformation on the switch capability. In this case the display devicemay send a message similar to the <Query Switch>, this will case theswitch to resend its information using the <Send Switch> message. Thismessage contains the same information as the <Send Switch capability> somay possibly be combined.

In case there are alternate A/V inputs supported, it could beadvantageous to discover what type of input each of these is. To thatend, a set of one or more messages may be generated. The display devicemay send a <Query Switch A/V> command which may allow the HDMI switch torespond with a <Send Switch A/V> message containing a text descriptionfor the type of input, which can then be used to display on thecontrolling device.

The results of the <Send Switch Capability> message may be used by thesink device to add an additional n−1 HDMI inputs to the list ofavailable devices displayed by the sink device. In addition, it may alsoadd the additional A/V inputs and display their type by using the <QuerySwitch A/V> command. The HDMI switch device may determine what thephysical address will be for each of its input ports. The HDMI switchdevice may allocate a physical address for any A/V input ports. Theaddress for the A/V inputs may be allocated in sequence after the HDMIinput ports. Addresses may be allocated starting at address 1. So, ifthere are 4 HDMI inputs, then the analog A/V inputs will start ataddress 5.

When the user then selects an input via the on screen menus, if it isdelivered by the HDMI switch, the sink may the send a <Set Stream Path>message to correctly route the signal. This may happen even though theremay be no device connected, or the device may be inactive. The user maythen turn on the target device manually. If one of analog A/V inputs isselected from the sink device, then the HDMI switch may convert theinput to HDMI format and route it to the sink device.

A computer system as illustrated in FIG. 8 may be incorporated as partof the previously described computerized devices. FIG. 8 provides aschematic illustration of one embodiment of a computer system 800 thatcan perform various steps of the methods provided by variousembodiments. It should be noted that FIG. 8 is meant only to provide ageneralized illustration of various components, any or all of which maybe utilized as appropriate. FIG. 8, therefore, broadly illustrates howindividual system elements may be implemented in a relatively separatedor relatively more integrated manner.

The computer system 800 is shown comprising hardware elements that canbe electrically coupled via a bus 805 (or may otherwise be incommunication, as appropriate). The hardware elements may include one ormore processors 810, including without limitation one or moregeneral-purpose processors and/or one or more special-purpose processors(such as digital signal processing chips, graphics accelerationprocessors, video decoders, and/or the like); one or more input devices815, which can include without limitation a mouse, a keyboard, remotecontrol, and/or the like; and one or more output devices 820, which caninclude without limitation a display device, a printer, and/or the like.

The computer system 800 may further include (and/or be in communicationwith) one or more non-transitory storage devices 825, which cancomprise, without limitation, local and/or network accessible storage,and/or can include, without limitation, a disk drive, a drive array, anoptical storage device, a solid-state storage device, such as a randomaccess memory (“RAM”), and/or a read-only memory (“ROM”), which can beprogrammable, flash-updateable and/or the like. Such storage devices maybe configured to implement any appropriate data stores, includingwithout limitation, various file systems, database structures, and/orthe like.

The computer system 800 might also include a communications subsystem830, which can include without limitation a modem, a network card(wireless or wired), an infrared communication device, a wirelesscommunication device, and/or a chipset (such as a Bluetooth™ device, an802.11 device, a WiFi device, a WiMax device, cellular communicationdevice, etc.), and/or the like. The communications subsystem 830 maypermit data to be exchanged with a network (such as the networkdescribed below, to name one example), other computer systems, and/orany other devices described herein. In many embodiments, the computersystem 800 will further comprise a working memory 835, which can includea RAM or ROM device, as described above.

The computer system 800 also can comprise software elements, shown asbeing currently located within the working memory 835, including anoperating system 840, device drivers, executable libraries, and/or othercode, such as one or more application programs 845, which may comprisecomputer programs provided by various embodiments, and/or may bedesigned to implement methods, and/or configure systems, provided byother embodiments, as described herein. Merely by way of example, one ormore procedures described with respect to the method(s) discussed abovemight be implemented as code and/or instructions executable by acomputer (and/or a processor within a computer); in an aspect, then,such code and/or instructions can be used to configure and/or adapt ageneral purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or moreoperations in accordance with the described methods.

A set of these instructions and/or code might be stored on anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as thenon-transitory storage device(s) 825 described above. In some cases, thestorage medium might be incorporated within a computer system, such ascomputer system 800. In other embodiments, the storage medium might beseparate from a computer system (e.g., a removable medium, such as acompact disc), and/or provided in an installation package, such that thestorage medium can be used to program, configure, and/or adapt a generalpurpose computer with the instructions/code stored thereon. Theseinstructions might take the form of executable code, which is executableby the computer system 800 and/or might take the form of source and/orinstallable code, which, upon compilation and/or installation on thecomputer system 800 (e.g., using any of a variety of generally availablecompilers, installation programs, compression/decompression utilities,etc.), then takes the form of executable code.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantialvariations may be made in accordance with specific requirements. Forexample, customized hardware might also be used, and/or particularelements might be implemented in hardware, software (including portablesoftware, such as applets, etc.), or both. Further, connection to othercomputing devices such as network input/output devices may be employed.

As mentioned above, in one aspect, some embodiments may employ acomputer system (such as the computer system 800) to perform methods inaccordance with various embodiments of the invention. According to a setof embodiments, some or all of the procedures of such methods areperformed by the computer system 800 in response to processor 810executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions (which mightbe incorporated into the operating system 840 and/or other code, such asan application program 845) contained in the working memory 835. Suchinstructions may be read into the working memory 835 from anothercomputer-readable medium, such as one or more of the non-transitorystorage device(s) 825. Merely by way of example, execution of thesequences of instructions contained in the working memory 835 mightcause the processor(s) 810 to perform one or more procedures of themethods described herein.

The terms “machine-readable medium,” “computer-readable storage medium”and “computer-readable medium,” as used herein, refer to any medium thatparticipates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in aspecific fashion. These mediums may be non-transitory. In an embodimentimplemented using the computer system 800, various computer-readablemedia might be involved in providing instructions/code to processor(s)810 for execution and/or might be used to store and/or carry suchinstructions/code. In many implementations, a computer-readable mediumis a physical and/or tangible storage medium. Such a medium may take theform of a non-volatile media or volatile media. Non-volatile mediainclude, for example, optical and/or magnetic disks, such as thenon-transitory storage device(s) 825. Volatile media include, withoutlimitation, dynamic memory, such as the working memory 835.

Common forms of physical and/or tangible computer-readable mediainclude, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk,magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any other opticalmedium, any other physical medium with patterns of marks, a RAM, a PROM,EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any othermedium from which a computer can read instructions and/or code.

Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in carrying oneor more sequences of one or more instructions to the processor(s) 810for execution. Merely by way of example, the instructions may initiallybe carried on a magnetic disk and/or optical disc of a remote computer.A remote computer might load the instructions into its dynamic memoryand send the instructions as signals over a transmission medium to bereceived and/or executed by the computer system 800.

The communications subsystem 830 (and/or components thereof) generallywill receive signals, and the bus 805 then might carry the signals(and/or the data, instructions, etc. carried by the signals) to theworking memory 835, from which the processor(s) 810 retrieves andexecutes the instructions. The instructions received by the workingmemory 835 may optionally be stored on a non-transitory storage device825 either before or after execution by the processor(s) 810.

It should further be understood that the components of computer system800 can be distributed across a network. For example, some processingmay be performed in one location using a first processor while otherprocessing may be performed by another processor remote from the firstprocessor. Other components of computer system 800 may be similarlydistributed. As such, computer system 800 may be interpreted as adistributed computing system that performs processing in multiplelocations. In some instances, computer system 800 may be interpreted asa single computing device, such as a distinct laptop, desktop computer,or the like, depending on the context.

The methods, systems, and devices discussed above are examples. Variousconfigurations may omit, substitute, or add various procedures orcomponents as appropriate. For instance, in alternative configurations,the methods may be performed in an order different from that described,and/or various stages may be added, omitted, and/or combined. Also,features described with respect to certain configurations may becombined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elementsof the configurations may be combined in a similar manner. Also,technology evolves and, thus, many of the elements are examples and donot limit the scope of the disclosure or claims.

Specific details are given in the description to provide a thoroughunderstanding of example configurations (including implementations).However, configurations may be practiced without these specific details.For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, andtechniques have been shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoidobscuring the configurations. This description provides exampleconfigurations only, and does not limit the scope, applicability, orconfigurations of the claims. Rather, the preceding description of theconfigurations will provide those skilled in the art with an enablingdescription for implementing described techniques. Various changes maybe made in the function and arrangement of elements without departingfrom the spirit or scope of the disclosure.

Also, configurations may be described as a process which is depicted asa flow diagram or block diagram. Although each may describe theoperations as a sequential process, many of the operations can beperformed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of theoperations may be rearranged. A process may have additional steps notincluded in the figure. Furthermore, examples of the methods may beimplemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode,hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. Whenimplemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the programcode or code segments to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in anon-transitory computer-readable medium such as a storage medium.Processors may perform the described tasks.

Having described several example configurations, various modifications,alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departingfrom the spirit of the disclosure. For example, the above elements maybe components of a larger system, wherein other rules may takeprecedence over or otherwise modify the application of the invention.Also, a number of steps may be undertaken before, during, or after theabove elements are considered.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system to facilitate expansion of media deviceinterface capabilities, the system comprising: a first media deviceconfigured to be communicatively couplable to a plurality of mediadevices, the first media device further configured to: detect a statechange with respect to one or more media devices of the plurality ofmedia devices, wherein the state change corresponds to a second mediadevice of the plurality of media devices being communicatively coupledto, or communicatively decoupled from, the first media device;consequent to the detecting the state change, determine a set of one ormore interface ports that are configured to interface with one or moremultimedia devices; generate configuration information based at least inpart on the set of one or more interface ports; transfer theconfiguration information to a sink device to indicate interface optionsbased at least in part on the set of one or more interface ports; andoperate to transfer content to the sink device based at least in part onaudio and/or visual data via at least one interface port of the set ofone or more interface ports.
 2. The system to facilitate expansion ofmedia device interface capabilities of claim 1, wherein the state changecorresponds to the second media device of the plurality of media devicesbeing communicatively coupled to the first media device, and the firstmedia device is further configured to: while the second media device ofthe plurality of media devices is communicatively coupled to the firstmedia device, detect a second state change that corresponds to a thirdmedia device of the plurality of media devices being communicativelycoupled to, or communicatively decoupled from, the first media device,and determine a second set of one or more interface ports consequent tothe detecting; generate second configuration information based at leastin part on the second set of one or more interface ports; transfer thesecond configuration information to the sink device to indicateinterface options based at least in part on the second set of one ormore interface ports; and operate to transfer additional content to thesink device based at least in part on additional audio and/or visualdata via at least one interface port of the second set of one or moreinterface ports.
 3. The system to facilitate expansion of media deviceinterface capabilities of claim 1, wherein the second media devicecomprises one or more of a television, a television receiver, a set-topbox, and/or a media player.
 4. The system to facilitate expansion ofmedia device interface capabilities of claim 1, further comprising: thesecond media device, wherein the second media device comprises a mediaswitch with: a set of one or more output ports; and a set of two or moreinput ports that are configured to interface with one or more additionalmultimedia devices, the set of two or more input ports corresponding atleast in part to the set of one or more interface ports.
 5. The systemto facilitate expansion of media device interface capabilities of claim1, further comprising: the second media device, wherein the second mediadevice comprises one or more of a television receiver, a set-top box,and/or a media player with: a set of one or more output ports; and a setof one or more input ports that are configured to interface with one ormore additional multimedia devices, the set of one or more input portscorresponding at least in part to the set of one or more interfaceports.
 6. The system to facilitate expansion of media device interfacecapabilities of claim 1, wherein the determining the set of one or moreinterface ports comprises determining one or more interface portsprovided by the second media device based at least in part on processinga first indication from the second media device that indicatesinformation about one or more capabilities of the second media device.7. The system to facilitate expansion of media device interfacecapabilities of claim 6, wherein the information about one or morecapabilities of the second media device comprises information about anumber of ports and one or more port types.
 8. The system to facilitateexpansion of media device interface capabilities of claim 1, wherein theconfiguration information indicates one or more port types.
 9. Thesystem to facilitate expansion of media device interface capabilities ofclaim 1, wherein the determining the set of one or more interface portscomprising determining one or more interface ports provided by thesecond media device based at least in part on processing a secondindication from the second media device that indicates an addressassociated with the second media device.
 10. The system to facilitateexpansion of media device interface capabilities of claim 1, wherein thesink device comprises one or more of a television, a televisionreceiver, a set-top box, and/or a display device.
 11. A method tofacilitate expansion of media device interface capabilities, the methodcomprising: detecting with a first media device a state change withrespect to one or more media devices of a plurality of media devices,wherein the state change corresponds to a second media device of theplurality of media devices being communicatively coupled to, orcommunicatively decoupled from, the first media device; consequent tothe detecting the state change, determining with the first media devicea set of one or more interface ports that are configured to interfacewith one or more multimedia devices; generating with the first mediadevice configuration information based at least in part on the set ofone or more interface ports; transferring with the first media devicethe configuration information to a sink device to indicate interfaceoptions based at least in part on the set of one or more interfaceports; and operating with the first media device to transfer content tothe sink device based at least in part on audio and/or visual data viaat least one interface port of the set of one or more interface ports.12. The method to facilitate expansion of media device interfacecapabilities of claim 11, wherein the state change corresponds to thesecond media device of the plurality of media devices beingcommunicatively coupled to the first media device, and the methodfurther comprises: while the second media device of the plurality ofmedia devices is communicatively coupled to the first media device,detecting with the first media device a second state change thatcorresponds to a third media device of the plurality of media devicesbeing communicatively coupled to, or communicatively decoupled from, thefirst media device, and determine a second set of one or more interfaceports consequent to the detecting; generating with the first mediadevice second configuration information based at least in part on thesecond set of one or more interface ports; transfer with the first mediadevice the second configuration information to the sink device toindicate interface options based at least in part on the second set ofone or more interface ports; and operate to transfer additional contentwith the first media device to the sink device based at least in part onadditional audio and/or visual data via at least one interface port ofthe second set of one or more interface ports.
 13. The method tofacilitate expansion of media device interface capabilities of claim 11,wherein the second media device comprises one or more of a television, atelevision receiver, a set-top box, and/or a media player.
 14. Themethod to facilitate expansion of media device interface capabilities ofclaim 11, wherein the determining the set of one or more interface portscomprises determining one or more interface ports provided by the secondmedia device based at least in part on processing a first indicationfrom the second media device that indicates information about one ormore capabilities of the second media device.
 15. The method tofacilitate expansion of media device interface capabilities of claim 14,wherein the information about one or more capabilities of the secondmedia device comprises information about a number of ports and one ormore port types.
 16. The method to facilitate expansion of media deviceinterface capabilities of claim 11, wherein the configurationinformation indicates one or more port types.
 17. The method tofacilitate expansion of media device interface capabilities of claim 11,wherein the determining the set of one or more interface portscomprising determining one or more interface ports provided by thesecond media device based at least in part on processing a secondindication from the second media device that indicates an addressassociated with the second media device.
 18. The method to facilitateexpansion of media device interface capabilities of claim 11, whereinthe sink device comprises one or more of a television, a televisionreceiver, a set-top box, and/or a display device.
 19. One or morenon-transitory, machine-readable media having machine-readableinstructions thereon which, when executed by one or more processingdevices, facilitate expansion of media device interface capabilities,causing the one or more processing devices to: detect a state changewith respect to one or more media devices of the plurality of mediadevices, wherein the state change corresponds to a second media deviceof the plurality of media devices being communicatively coupled to, orcommunicatively decoupled from, a first media device; consequent to thedetecting the state change, determine a set of one or more interfaceports that are configured to interface with one or more multimediadevices; generate configuration information based at least in part onthe set of one or more interface ports; transfer the configurationinformation to a sink device to indicate interface options based atleast in part on the set of one or more interface ports; and operate totransfer content to the sink device based at least in part on audioand/or visual data via at least one interface port of the set of one ormore interface ports.
 20. The one or more non-transitory,machine-readable media of claim 19, wherein the instructions furthercause the one or more processing devices to: while the second mediadevice of the plurality of media devices is communicatively coupled tothe first media device, detect a second state change that corresponds toa third media device of the plurality of media devices beingcommunicatively coupled to, or communicatively decoupled from, the firstmedia device, and determine a second set of one or more interface portsconsequent to the detecting; generate second configuration informationbased at least in part on the second set of one or more interface ports;transfer the second configuration information to the sink device toindicate interface options based at least in part on the second set ofone or more interface ports; and operate to transfer additional contentto the sink device based at least in part on additional audio and/orvisual data via at least one interface port of the second set of one ormore interface ports.